BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts lawmakers have given final approval to a bill offering protections for pregnant women in the workplace.
The measure sent to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday requires employers to offer “reasonable accommodations” to pregnant workers, and makes it illegal to fire or refuse to hire a female worker because of a pregnancy.
Reasonable accommodations could include anything from temporary transfers to less strenuous positions, to providing workers with a stool to sit on or more frequent bathroom breaks.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo had made the bill an early priority of the legislative session after MotherWoman, an advocacy group for working women, negotiated an agreement with Associated Industries of Massachusetts on proposed language.
Baker has previously indicated his support for the measure, which would take effect April 1, 2018.
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